How a 29-Year-Old Became a Vegas CEO | Jonathan Jossel DSH #1256

Summary

Digital Social Hour: How a 29-Year-Old Became a Vegas CEO | Jonathan Jossel DSH #1256

Release Date: March 22, 2025
Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: Jonathan Jossel, CEO of the Plaza Hotel Downtown

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Introduction

In episode #1256 of Digital Social Hour, host Sean Kelly welcomes Jonathan Jossel, the dynamic 29-year-old CEO of the Plaza Hotel Downtown in Las Vegas. This episode delves into Jonathan's remarkable journey to leadership at a young age, his insights into the evolving landscape of downtown Las Vegas, his interactions with industry legends, and his vision for the future of his hotel and the community.

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Path to Leadership: Becoming the Youngest CEO

Jonathan shares his experience of ascending to the CEO position at the Plaza Hotel at just 29 years old. He recounts the rigorous licensing process required to run a hotel casino in Las Vegas, emphasizing how his younger age simplified certain aspects of the background checks.

“I was the youngest when … I became the CEO when I was 29 years old.”
[00:49] Jonathan

He highlights that his lack of complex financial ties, such as properties or children, made the licensing process more straightforward, despite being thorough in examining bank accounts and other financial records.

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Embracing Las Vegas: A Passionate Commitment

Jonathan expresses his deep affection for Las Vegas, noting that after moving from England, he has dedicated 17 years to making his mark in the city.

“I was born in South Africa, grew up in London, England. Been 17 years here in Vegas and nowhere else in the world I'd want to be.”
[01:55] Jonathan

He observes the significant growth in downtown Las Vegas, attributing it to factors like the influx of new residents from California and Arizona, the establishment of sports teams, and increased investments in real estate and technology sectors.

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Evolution of Downtown Las Vegas

Jonathan provides a comprehensive overview of downtown Las Vegas's transformation over the past decade. From being perceived as a less desirable area with landmarks like the Greyhound bus station and train tracks, downtown has seen substantial development, including the introduction of 800 apartments and major projects like Circa and new parking garages.

“When you look around where I was in downtown, call it a decade ago, you had a Greyhound bus station … Today you have 800 apartments to the west, you have Circa to the east.”
[14:43] Jonathan

He emphasizes the importance of collective growth, noting that competition among downtown casinos is minimal compared to the collaborative efforts to enhance the area's appeal.

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Collaborations and Influences: Learning from Legends

Jonathan discusses his interactions with industry giants such as Steve Wynn and Tony Hsieh, whose philosophies have significantly influenced his management style and vision for the Plaza Hotel.

“Steve Wynn really understood the human connection, what people experience … The Wynn is the best property in the city.”
[10:33] Jonathan

He fondly remembers dinners with Steve Wynn, where he learned about creating exceptional guest experiences and the crucial role of cause and effect in the hospitality industry.

Furthermore, Jonathan reflects on Tony Hsieh's impact on downtown Las Vegas, particularly Hsieh's Delivering Happiness philosophy and his efforts to promote downtown as a vibrant, engaging destination.

“He just sat there in silence, listening … if they come down here and the experience isn't good, they're not going to come back.”
[22:07] Jonathan

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Competition and Market Growth: A Cooperative Spirit

Jonathan outlines his perspective on competition within downtown Las Vegas, viewing it more as a cooperative endeavor to elevate the entire area rather than a cutthroat rivalry.

“I think we all work together … There's a competitive element, no doubt about it. But I think we all work together.”
[15:57] Jonathan

He explains that the presence of other casinos and improvements across the board attracts more visitors, thereby benefiting all establishments collectively. This neighborhood effect ensures that as downtown grows, so does each business within it.

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Festivals and Events: Driving Engagement

The conversation touches on the role of festivals in promoting downtown Las Vegas. Jonathan recounts the success of Life is Beautiful and other festivals that have drawn large crowds by transforming downtown into a cultural hub.

“Promoting downtown as a blank canvas … and what a better way to advertise the area to people.”
[21:10] Jonathan

Despite acknowledging the challenges of sustaining festivals, Jonathan believes that events like EDC continue to thrive due to their established popularity and ability to attract attendees consistently.

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Gambling and Hospitality: Enhancing the Guest Experience

Jonathan discusses strategies to differentiate the Plaza Hotel from other casinos by offering better gambling odds and lower minimums, enhancing the overall guest experience.

“Instead of playing triple zero, roulette, playing single zero … they should be playing three to two blackjack.”
[25:14] Jonathan

He emphasizes that providing superior odds encourages guests to stay longer and enjoy more of what the casino offers, aligning with his commitment to excellent customer service learned from industry mentors.

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Culinary Excellence: Spotlight on Downtown Dining

The discussion highlights the vibrant culinary scene in downtown Las Vegas, with Jonathan mentioning various top-tier restaurants such as Esther's Kitchen and Soul Belly that contribute to the area's appeal.

“Esther's Kitchen is great … We’re really proud of it.”
[25:38] Jonathan

He contrasts the quality of off-Strip dining experiences with those on the Strip, asserting that downtown offers some of the best restaurants in the city, enhancing its reputation as a premier destination.

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Future Plans: Continued Growth and Innovation

Looking ahead, Jonathan shares his ambitious plans for the Plaza Hotel, including ongoing renovations, the addition of new restaurants, and the development of 10 acres of land to further elevate the property’s standing in downtown Las Vegas.

“We're going to open up Nice … We're going to continue to remodel the hotel … making the Plaza the best place in downtown.”
[27:46] Jonathan

He also mentions his podcast, On the Corner of Main Street, which serves as a platform to document and share the evolving story of Las Vegas through interviews with industry leaders and local influencers.

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Conclusion

Sean Kelly wraps up the episode by encouraging listeners to visit the Plaza Hotel and tune into Jonathan’s podcast to stay updated on his ventures and contributions to downtown Las Vegas. Jonathan's passion for revitalizing the area, coupled with his innovative approach to hospitality, positions him as a noteworthy figure in the ever-evolving Las Vegas landscape.

“Guys, check out Jonathan's show. I'll see you guys next time.”
[28:41] Sean Kelly

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Key Takeaways

• Jonathan Jossel became the youngest CEO of a Las Vegas hotel casino at 29, leveraging his focused financial background.
• Downtown Las Vegas has undergone significant transformation, evolving from a less desirable area to a vibrant hub with substantial residential and commercial growth.
• Collaborative Growth within downtown casinos fosters a cooperative environment that benefits all businesses, emphasizing collective success over individual competition.
• Influences from Industry Legends like Steve Wynn and Tony Hsieh have shaped Jonathan’s approach to guest experience and business management.
• Festivals and Culinary Excellence play a crucial role in attracting visitors and enhancing the cultural landscape of downtown Las Vegas.
• Future Plans include continuous renovations, new dining establishments, and expansive development projects aimed at solidifying the Plaza Hotel’s status as a premier downtown destination.

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Notable Quotes

“I was the youngest when … I became the CEO when I was 29 years old.”
[00:49] Jonathan

“I was born in South Africa, grew up in London, England. Been 17 years here in Vegas and nowhere else in the world I'd want to be.”
[01:55] Jonathan

“Steve Wynn really understood the human connection, what people experience … The Wynn is the best property in the city.”
[10:33] Jonathan

“Instead of playing triple zero, roulette, playing single zero … they should be playing three to two blackjack.”
[25:14] Jonathan

“We're going to open up Nice … We're going to continue to remodel the hotel … making the Plaza the best place in downtown.”
[27:46] Jonathan

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This episode of Digital Social Hour offers an insightful look into Jonathan Jossel’s leadership journey, the revitalization of downtown Las Vegas, and the collaborative spirit thriving within the city’s hospitality industry. Whether you're a local or simply fascinated by Las Vegas's dynamic evolution, Jonathan's story is both inspiring and enlightening.

Transcript

[A]

But promoting downtown as a blank canvas, Right? Come downtown, walk the streets. Oh, and by the way, you're going to watch the Killers, Imagine Dragons, some of the biggest bands in the world playing, you know, in the streets of downtown. And what a better. What better way to advertise the area to people. So it was pretty amazing to see how that worked. But as a business, festivals are tough business.

[B]

All right, guys, got a Vegas local on today. Jonathan, CEO of the Plaza Hotel downtown. Thanks for coming on, man.

[A]

Thank you for having me. This is awesome. Appreciate the. Appreciate the setup over here.

[B]

Yeah. Appreciate your time. I know you're quite busy with that role.

[A]

Not really. I enjoy doing this stuff. It's good to meet people in the community, good to meet Vegas locals like yourself. And that's how we get the Plaza on the map, by talking about as much as we can.

[B]

I love it. Yeah. You started as CEO at 29. That must have been a record for youngest at the time, I'd imagine.

[A]

Yeah, I was the youngest when. Not CEO, but gaming licensee. So to hold a gaming. To run a hotel casino in Vegas, you have to have a license. I went through that licensing process and became the CEO when I was 29 years old.

[B]

That must have been a rigorous process, I'd imagine.

[A]

You know what's funny is it is but when you're so young, you don't have trusts and different investments and kids and all these other things that typically they would investigate. So I didn't have other properties. I was, you know, 28 when I saw the process. So it was a pretty straightforward process. But they still investigate everything. Your bank accounts. I'm originally from England.

[B]

Oh, wow.

[A]

Say, you know, you got to submit your bank records from the UK and they go through everything. It took nine to 12 months. Nice.

[B]

I got citizenship out there in England? Yeah, my dad was born there.

[A]

You've been out there at all?

[B]

Been to Ireland.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I need to get out to England, though.

[A]

You got to use your citizenship.

[B]

I know. Well, I. I might have to claim it because he was born there, so I don't know how it works, but he said I could claim it whenever I wanted to.

[A]

Oh, you haven't? Okay. Yeah, that makes sense. You should probably do that.

[B]

Yeah, if you want it. If I want it? Yeah.

[A]

If we're going to go, then.

[B]

It's hard to beat America, man.

[A]

You know, I agree with you. I was born in South Africa, grew up in London, England. Been 17 years here in Vegas and nowhere else in the world I'd want to be.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

And. And that's not just America. Vegas is the best.

[B]

You've seen a lot of growth here.

[A]

Place to live in Vegas. Yeah, it's mind blowing. I mean, I've been primarily in downtown Las Vegas. To see the growth down there has been awesome. But as a city, it's just completely evolved. And. Wow. Is it just only going to grow more in the next decade?

[B]

Yeah. With the sports teams coming in from real estate.

[A]

Yeah, Real estate, sports teams, everyone. California wanting to move here, especially after the fires. Yeah, it was happening before that, but even more so now. Feel like I'm speaking like the mayor now promoting Las Vegas. But yeah, it's. It's. The growth is amazing. The development and. And just the diversity just was only casinos now. You, like you mentioned sports, but there's also tech moving here. There's other investment companies.

[B]

Hollywood here.

[A]

Hollywood's here. Mark Wahlberg's here. It's pretty. Pretty diverse.

[B]

You're here, I'm here.

[A]

Social hours.

[B]

Four years here, and it's been the best city I've ever lived in, I'll say that.

[A]

Were you before?

[B]

I was in LA for a bit. I was in Jersey City and Bridgewater, New Jersey.

[A]

And. Do you always wear your face on your shirt?

[B]

Always. I just ordered new.

[A]

How many things do you have?

[B]

Like, I know I have 100 of these, actually, so I. People think I wear the same shirt every day, but I just swap them.

[A]

Okay. Why put on a tie for you today? I don't normally wear a tie, but.

[B]

Oh, I'm honored.

[A]

No, I'm joking. I was at the game in control board, just so I'm sure.

[B]

That was a fun meeting.

[A]

It was a great meeting.

[B]

No, I just ordered new merch, though, because people in the comments are like, is that kid wearing the same shirt every day?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I almost went full Mark Zuckerberg and just bought 100 white shirts.

[A]

Why don't you.

[B]

I feel like the branding's a better look than just white shirts.

[A]

You know, as long as they're just plain white shirts, not the Kanye west white shirts.

[B]

Yeah, well, Kanye's been going crazy. I don't know if you've seen that.

[A]

I've seen it, man. Yeah. I'm Jewish. I've seen.

[B]

I'm sure all your friends are talking about it. Then all his tweets got deleted. Right. He just deactivated his Twitter should.

[A]

As they should.

[B]

Yeah. Did you see a Super bowl commercial?

[A]

I actually missed that. I don't know how much. I was busy at the hotel, so I. I did hear about it, but I didn't actually see the commercial. But I'm gonna have to check it after this. Actually, I don't really want to watch it. I. I want to pretend this guy doesn't exist. It's horrible.

[B]

Yeah, horrible. A lot of hate coming towards Jewish people, especially on X. Yeah, man.

[A]

Yeah. Although I think a lot of it is just the, the algorithm finds people. So like I don't see a lot of that, but it's, it's definitely out there. It's a pretty scary time.

[B]

How big was the super bowl event for you, for the hotel?

[A]

It was good. Obviously hard to compare to last year. Last year we had the super bowl in Las Vegas. So it was packed and a different type of busy. But Las Vegas is always one of the busiest. Super is always one of the busiest times of the year in Las Vegas. Top three. I'd say it was very good. It wasn't as busy as previous years. There's a lot of rumors as to or rumblings as to a lot of underperformance in, in hotel rates and ticket sales for the parties. But yeah, I think it's pretty simple that the fires in California definitely put a dampener on the mood and, and as it should. I mean there's what I think 30 to 40% of the business that comes to Las Vegas comes from California.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

And Arizona. I didn't know that those two states. So when you consider that it's, you know, you take a huge chunk of that market out of it, it's going to put a dampener on the mood. Mixed in with obviously an uncertain political climate.

[B]

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[A]

In some ways, and some people think it's. The pricing on the Strip has just gone out of control. And maybe that's an element, but that's not a new thing. The fires in California seem like a direct correlation to the slowdown.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

In the last couple of weeks.

[B]

Plus stocks tanked that week. Crypto market was down. Everything was. It was just bad timing all around, you know?

[A]

Yeah. But it was still great. We still did. We still did really good. Still one of our better weekends. And the Monday after Super bowl is always a great day as well. People forget that. They think the game's. The game is Sunday, but Monday after super bowl is still super busy.

[B]

Really? Oh, I didn't expect that.

[A]

Yeah, it's great.

[B]

Thought people would be hungover and given up on drink.

[A]

No, no. So what happens is all the people that won all their big sports bets now gamble that. Oh, this, up that. Yeah.

[B]

Speaking of gambling, I saw Vegas Policy make a video about how the profits were down this quarter, 40% on the.

[A]

Strip for the year. For the year, was it?

[B]

For the year. Okay.

[A]

Where did you see that?

[B]

Vegas policy.

[A]

Oh, okay, fine. Yeah.

[B]

I feel like he's pretty accurate with his reportings.

[A]

Yeah. Real sources of information. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. Well, he's very numbers driven.

[A]

He sure is.

[B]

You got to give.

[A]

I don't, I don't check his numbers, but I'm sure he is. He is very accurate.

[B]

You haven't banned him yet, right?

[A]

I haven't banned him, no. He calls me the next Steve Wins. How can I ban a guy who says I'm the next Steve Win?

[B]

It's wonderful as Resource World is banned him.

[A]

I saw that. Yeah, I heard that. I, you know, I think there's an element to how much you, you, you hate on a place, and it's a tough industry. It's a tough thing. So. But he speaks his mind, and I give him credit for that. And, and he's, you know, he's certainly entertaining people. People like what he's doing, and we haven't banned him. In fact, he comes and plays this game called Pop Traps at the Plaza.

[B]

Loves traps.

[A]

You know, unlike other influencers and other people, we don't pay him. We don't do anything. He just comes there as his own, as a customer. And so it's. I like getting real life feedback from customers, so he gives me real life feedback. And he's a good guy. He's a good guy. And like I said, he calls me the next Steph Win. So I can't hate him for that.

[B]

I love it. Was Steve Wynn someone you studied when you were starting out in this industry?

[A]

Yes, a lot. I mean, my one regret is I never got to work for him. I never got to learn directly from him. I met him many times, dozen, 20 times or so. But over dinners and stuff. And you realize how brilliant the guy was.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I studied him and tried to learn from him as much as I could without having the direct influence from him. But we. We had dinners and, you know, at dinner, he would. He could express how good he. Or how knowledgeable he was about bingo. And we share a love of bingo. We're the only game we're doing bingo in downtown. He. He started in bingo halls.

[B]

Really.

[A]

He could talk about wine, he could talk about art, he could talk about sport. I mean, the guy was so intelligent. He could talk about literally anything and eloquently, intelligently. It was pretty amazing to see.

[B]

That's impressive because as a CEO, you gotta know a little bit about every single game you. You have at the cas, right?

[A]

But he knows a lot about everything. That was the one stood out to me. I can speak a little bit about bingo and, like, I'm passionate about all, like American football. He can remember plays and games. He can remember. He called it, you know, to call a bingo game is a certain skill set. He explained to me. And how. Be 15, like the sound of your voice as you call out the game is a skill to that. And he went through a whole. He called a game bingo over at dinner one night. What? It was pretty.

[B]

That's super impressive.

[A]

It was pretty.

[B]

What was your biggest, I guess, takeaway from those dinners with them. What did you.

[A]

There's a few things, but he taught me the idea of cause and effect, which is that casinos aren't. Or gambling isn't the effect. Sorry. Isn't the cause. It's the effect. The cause is everything that goes into the experience. It's the guest experience from the sight, the smell. He understood more than anybody else what people want. And he explained once you give them that, they're gonna spend more time in your casino. They're gonna play more of them, their wallet with you. And he really understood what people wanted more than anybody I've ever come across. And. And to be honest with you, you look at the Strip today, the best properties are still the ones he built. And that's. I was at Spargo last night. Fountains were going and there was tons of people watching it. He did that 26 years ago, and it's still Relevant today. It's still interesting today. You know, when you think about some of the newer developments on the Strip, they lack that brilliance and touch it. Not to say that they're not amazing. They're beautiful, they're nice, they're amazing. But for whatever reason, what Steve Wynn built, people crave. They came from all over the world to see it. And some of that's lacking today. I'd say maybe the sphere has that effect wherever you go in the world, people are like, the sphere's cool. The sphere is interesting, and people want to see it from all over the world. I think that Steve Wynn had the ability to build things that people gravitated towards, felt comfortable in. And even now, the Wynn is the best property.

[B]

You know, I agree.

[A]

People can debate that, but the Wynn is the best property in the city. And it's because of him. He built it. And so, yeah, he. He's. He's.

[B]

He's a legend.

[A]

Legend and very impressive. And frankly, the guy who made the city what it is. If you really break it down in.

[B]

The place and shout out to his nephew Blake, when he's a good friend of mine, he's been crushing it out here, too.

[A]

That's right. Isn't. He's partners with Oscar Goodman's. Yes. They work together.

[B]

Yeah. On the celebrity poker tournament.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. They've been crushing.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What they're doing is incredible.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But, yeah, I agree with you. I got win number one, Venetian number two.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, Venetian's solid. And they just did renovations.

[A]

Hey, no surprise that the two best operators in the history of the city, Steve Wynn, Sheldon Adelson, built the two.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. No surprise at all.

[A]

People. People build the right way, they understand what people want, and they give what they give people what they want. It'll be successful long term. So, yeah, they were both maestros in different ways, but Steve Wynn really understood the human connection, what people experience from the sight, the smell, the taste, everything when you walk through that building, the customer service, even now, the guys that are working there, they were all. Not. Not still all of them, but many of them were trained by Steve Wynn, learned through Steve Wynn, and that's how it's able to continue some of that excellence.

[B]

Yeah, the energy in that hotel, they've just done a phenomenal job of making you feel important when you're walking those halls.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, I used to film my podcast at the Wind. Oh, I felt like a savage every time.

[A]

Was that the studio thing that they have?

[B]

Yeah, it's next to the Buffet?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Have you seen that one?

[A]

I have, yeah.

[B]

It's a $5 million studio. That's what I mean. They just, they're willing to invest.

[A]

Who uses it now?

[B]

Series 6M owns it now, so they film their shows out of there.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

But it was a different company.

[A]

My show, though.

[B]

Yeah, you should, man, get signed to Sirius. Where do you film yours now? At the Plaza.

[A]

Yeah. So we started a podcast five years ago at the bar in Oscars.

[B]

Oh, yeah, at the bar.

[A]

The bar, yeah. And the idea was, you know, we'd have people come in, have drinks, whatever, hang out and didn't think it was going to last. I think we've done about 140 episodes now.

[B]

Well done.

[A]

Quite a lot for a podcast. Right?

[B]

It is not a lot of shows get to episode 10. Right.

[A]

I read that. I read most people give up long before that. Yeah, no, we're at 140 and we've been able to. My goal with it is I hope that one day people look back at a snapshot in time from like 2020 to, you know, the next decade of what was Las Vegas like and who told the story of the history of Las Vegas. So we've had historians on, we've had business operators. It's not a commercial for the plaza. It's really just a way to tell the story of Vegas. Who's. Who's doing what. We've had probably 10 casino owners on the, on the podcast, general managers, people just in the industry and. And then we've had, you know, local influences, other celebrities, but just trying to tell the story of the people that contributed to Vegas for that period of time.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Maybe my kids will listen to one day be a class at unlv.

[B]

I hope, I hope with my kids, they listen to a few my episodes too. You know, legacy is important.

[A]

How old are your kids?

[B]

20. I don't have them yet.

[A]

Oh. Oh.

[B]

I was going to say I'm getting married this year, though, so. Soon. Soon.

[A]

Congratulations.

[B]

Thank you. So casino owners have been on the podcast. So how do you view competition in Vegas? Is it. Is it pretty like your friends? Or like, is there actual competition with other casinos?

[A]

You know, I really think of downtown as its own sort of submark. Right. I don't see us. We obviously compete with the Strip in different ways, but on the whole, my main focus is with the other casino owners of downtown. I think they've all realized, along with myself, we're better if downtown's better. So the best thing that ever happened to the one of the Best things that happened to the Plaza is circa being built across the street. In traditional logic, you'd be like, no, that's going to be competitive. That's not going to be good for you. But it doesn't work that way in the casino world. Having that building across the street has meant more people coming downtown, higher spenders coming down, better quality customers coming downtown. And so it's changed the perception. Same as Golden Nugget, same as every property that's upgraded in the last decade has only helped downtown. The Plaza has been one of the biggest reinvestment stories. We've done a lot with the property. So to see that come back, sure, we compete with each other for market share, but the idea is it's much more important that the market grows. And that's what's been happening in downtown, is the market's been growing more and more people coming downtown means that we do better as a result of that. And so that's really been the story I talk about as the neighborhood effect.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

When you looked around where I was in downtown, call it a decade ago, you had a Greyhound bus station. You had the jail. Shout out to the people in the jail that are watching my fireworks shows. I didn't even think about that. That's cool. I Learned that about 10 minutes ago. You had a jail, you had the Greyhound bus station, you had the train tracks, you had empty parcels. Today you have 800 apartments to the west, you have Circa to the east. You have the new parking garage. We were able to evict the Greyhound bus station. You have so much development and improvements that the neighborhoods truly cleaned up in. In. I had read A stat in 89101, which was our zip code, was the poorest zip code in the state.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

In the city. I didn't know that it was. I. I can't imagine it is anymore because of all the developments and development and all these people living down there now has changed so much. So, yeah, yeah, you're. You're. You're part of a much better neighborhood. Your business is going to do better. And so, yes, there's a competitive element, no doubt about it. But I think we all work together. You know, when we do our fireworks every Friday, the other casinos promote it because they want people on their patios, their rooftops, their pools to all experience it. When life is beautiful used to happen. It was good for all the casinos. The. The F1. We did something called the Neon City Festival.

[B]

Oh, I saw that.

[A]

We all work together. We all brought new events together to make downtown a better place. It benefits all of us together. So there's a. I'd say it's 10% competitive, 90%. Let's work together to make downtown a better place.

[B]

Yeah. Whenever my fiance's family visits us, they prefer downtown over the Strip.

[A]

Really?

[B]

It's interesting. Yeah. Because you never know what you're going to see there.

[A]

Yeah, that's true. I mean, there's still an education process. I talk to people when I'm out at restaurants on the Strip, and they'll be like, oh, downtown, you know? But once they get down, they're like, oh, wow, this is not what I expected. It's cleaned up. It's not grimy anymore. It's not.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So there's still elements of probably the crowds that you're referring to, but it's getting better and better every. And that's been my philosophy with the Plaza. You know, we could have knocked it down and started again, but I was like, no, let's, let's, let's revitalize this thing one piece at a time and improve it. And that's what we did. We went through every hotel room, every FMB opportunity, the casino, the entertainment. We have a new show there called Mavericks.

[B]

Nice.

[A]

It's been amazing.

[B]

I love it. I'll check it out. You gotta come see the show. Yeah, I'm gonna try the steakhouse tonight, too.

[A]

Oh, cool.

[B]

Yeah, I haven't been there. Have you been on the zipline downtown?

[A]

I have.

[B]

I love it.

[A]

It's true. There's the one where you sit in it and then there's the one you fly.

[B]

The flying one is what I'm talking about. I haven't tried it. I'm scared, man.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You didn't get stuck?

[A]

I didn't get stuck, but probably I'm too heavy, so I kept fighting.

[B]

Flew down it.

[A]

Yeah. I just kept going. No, I didn't get stuck.

[B]

What are your predictions for Circus Circus? They just listed it for sale. Right.

[A]

I heard that. I, I, I imagine. I, I don't know. I don't. I'm skeptical that it actually sells. Although I did go in there. There's a spending. I don't know if you've seen these vending machines where you get sports cards and Pokemon.

[B]

Oh, I saw it on Instagram. Yeah.

[A]

Cards. I went in there to see one of them at Circus Circus. We have one at the Plaza as well. They're pretty cool. You'll see it tonight at the Plaza.

[B]

They are cool.

[A]

And the, and the, the property needs some new life. And some new energy. Yeah, I think, again, what I was just speaking about with downtown, if it got revitalized, re. Energized, it would really help. Fontainebleau, Sahara, Stratosphere, everything down the north end of the Strip. But I also heard that they wanted 5 billion spirit.

[B]

5 billion.

[A]

That's a lot of money. That's a lot for something that. I don't know what it makes, but it's. It was pretty quiet the last time I went in there.

[B]

Yeah. I will say I've been to their steakhouse. It's not bad.

[A]

Yeah, they've got a good reputation for the steakhouse. But I feel like, you know, we used to have the same thing said about the Plaza. We had Oscar's Steakhouse, but. But there's no point having a good steakhouse if everything around it isn't the same or similar. It doesn't have to be as high end or as fine dining, but you got to be able to keep the people that are comfortable. You don't want them just to park, eat a steak and then leave. That's. That's not good for anybody as a business operator. So, yeah, they need some. They need some TLC there. Although my kids love the. When you have kids, one day you'll see. They. They love the Adventure Dome, the place in the back of Circus Circus where the roller coasters are.

[B]

Oh, yeah, all that stuff. I could see that. Well, they're, they're old. They were built in, what, the 50s, 60s? Circus Circus.

[A]

I don't know when that adventure was, but that can't be that old, I don't think. But the Cirque, sir, probably is the hotel.

[B]

Yeah, I think they're one of the oldest. But even yours was built in 71, right? Yes, that's one of. One of the oldest. It has to be.

[A]

It was built in 71. It was one of the largest hotel casinos in the world. So a huge amount of history. And what's really cool about it was it was at one Main street was located where Vegas began.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

First address in the city. It's on the back of the train tracks. If you've studied the history of Vegas and you've heard how the train used to come into the city and drop off the walkers by the Hoover Dam. That was the spot right there. That was the train, The Amtrak train station was at the Plaza. And so we. That's where the Plaza was built. That's where it was called the Union Pacific. UPR is the Union Pacific Railroad, and it was called the Union Plaza. When it was built, so that was 71. And then they added the second tower. So it's a thousand rooms. And it sits on the biggest piece of land in all of downtown. It's 17 acres.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Biggest privately owned piece of land in. In the whole city. In all of downtown.

[B]

I didn't know you guys had that much. That's impressive.

[A]

Yeah. Well, we have an equestrian center out there now. Oh. So, like, during the rodeo. We do rodeos. I'm definitely the only Jewish English guy. Throwing rodeos down as big as NFR.

[B]

Is always a blast, man.

[A]

I love nfr, man. Best people, best time of year. It's fun.

[B]

Best people all agree with that. Yeah. Those are the greatest, most pure and innocent people I've ever met.

[A]

Love it. They love it. They come to Vegas for 10 days and everyone has a good time.

[B]

Ye. I went the first time last year.

[A]

Oh, you did? Thomas and macked.

[B]

Yeah. Thompson Mack. It was hacked.

[A]

Every night. Sold out.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

Nothing like it.

[B]

I couldn't believe it. There was more people there than, like, an NBA game.

[A]

Yeah, no, it's. It's. It's a big deal. And. And by the way, those tickets are valuable. People go nuts.

[B]

Really? Oh, wow. Shout out to Tyson Durfee for hooking me up then. I didn't know they were valuable.

[A]

Oh, yeah. Those tickets are like gold dust that time of year. Everybody wants to go to the. To the NFL.

[B]

Yeah. I was excited for the bull riding, man.

[A]

Can you imagine what those guys do to themselves?

[B]

Dude, I think the longest one I saw was five seconds. Those guys just fall off instantly and.

[A]

Then the ball attacks them. Yeah, it's wild. So we throw our own rodeo as well in November called Hel Dorado.

[B]

Oh, wow.

[A]

You have to come down to that.

[B]

I'd love to.

[A]

That's fun. So we do that, and then the NFR is in December, so we have an equestrian center out there. We also had Life is Beautiful There this last summer. We did a festival out there. So we've got ideas for that. 17 acres to develop it down the road.

[B]

Smart. Yeah. Life is Beautiful did really well. Right? I saw that everywhere.

[A]

Life is Beautiful did well. It was a. It was for 10 years. Tony Hsieh started it. He was the guy. He was the founder of Zappos and then invested in downtown and really did an amazing job. Not running a festival, but promoting downtown as a blank canvas. Right. Come downtown, walk the streets. Oh, and by the way, you're going to watch the Killers. Imagine Dragons. Some of the biggest bands in the world playing at, you know, in the streets of downtown. And what a better, what better way to advertise the area to people. So it was pretty amazing to see how that worked. But as a business, festivals are tough business. And so when he passed away, I don't think there was the appetite to continue running it the way that he, he was, yeah. Vision that he had for downtown.

[B]

Yeah, they are tough. I know we got the EDC stuff here. Not those. Well, but.

[A]

Well, EDC is another animal. It's the biggest festival and one of the biggest festivals in the world and they have no problem selling tickets and they could probably sell no matter who was playing that festival. But that's, that's a one off as opposed to some of the other festivals.

[B]

That makes sense. Did you get the opportunity to learn anything from Tony Show?

[A]

I did a lot. A lot. I mean I got to know him really well. He amazing mind. And really what blew my, what blew my mind about him was he just thought about everything a little bit different. You know, we all think of things in the same way. He interpreted everything in a different way. And I remember sitting in a meeting with him and there's a bunch of downtown developers and owners and they were all talking about how do we communicate that downtown's different? This is probably in 2012, 2013. And he just sat there in silence, listening, listening and then finally said, look, it doesn't matter what you communicate. If they come down here and the experience isn't good, they're not going to come back and they're not going to talk about you're going to waste that money. And that really stuck with me with the hotel business as well. Like there's no point marketing something where you're not proud of the experience and you're not delivering on what you say you're going to deliver on.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And he was, he was spot on with that. And, and we've tried to carry that through with the Plaza, but he taught me a lot of things also. Just the idea of, he was open to everything. He never shut down ideas right away, no matter how crazy they were or weird they were. He listened, he processed it, he thought about it. And staying open minded, especially in today, people are very close minded.

[B]

Oh yeah.

[A]

He was always open minded, listening and didn't always do it, but at least would flush everything out and give it a chance. And it's easy to just dismiss ideas. Some of those are the best ideas. That's true.

[B]

Right, Steve Jobs?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It makes you, makes me wonder because you said you did renovations, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So Tony might have played a role in that idea.

[A]

Yeah, we, we had done a few before that and we, we had helped. He had, he had really come into downtown about three years after I had moved out here. And we had worked together very closely to try to change a perception of downtown. And he was, he was a big part of everybody increasing their appetite to improve downtown. And he really, he. He didn't actually do much, but he changed the perception real quickly. Everyone's like, oh, that's Tony Hsieh. He's doing this. And he had this book at the time called Delivering Happiness, which is amazing book. If you've not read it, I highly recommend it. And he, he invested in downtown and put downtown on the map in a much quicker way that would have otherwise happened.

[B]

Yeah, I'm a fan of downtown, man.

[A]

It's cool, isn't it?

[B]

Like, I'm not just saying that because you're here. Like you could have a fun night there and not spend too much money.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And you can see all sorts of performances. Sometimes someone cools singing there.

[A]

Yeah, it's great. We're really proud of it. And I think there's a lot more potential. You see, there's a high rise being built down on Symphony park right behind us. There's a new contemporary art museum being built by Elaine Wynn. There's. There's a lot of good things happening down there. I just think that we, we definitely made a big start. But there's a long way to go into. A lot of downtown can continue to evolve into and become. And it's the gambling mecca, I think it should be. You know, you talk to Paulie C. But when you talk about better gaming odds, people want to have their money last a bit longer. Right. So instead of playing triple zero, roulette, playing single zero, triple zero, instead of playing six to five blackjack, you should be playing three to two blackjack. Instead of playing two times or three, four, five times odds on craps, you should be playing ten times odds on craps. And a lot of people don't know that, but they feel that. They feel their money's gone much quicker. And I think that downtown has a chance to really stand out by differentiating on that.

[B]

Yeah. Because you guys have lower minimums too, which is good.

[A]

Lower minimums, but better odds. Yeah, that's the key.

[B]

Cuz if you go to the win on a busy night. Oh my gosh.

[A]

$50 blackjack.

[B]

$50 blackjack. I only gamble personally with like maybe 500 bucks. So like I'm getting wrecked quick. If I go there, you know, you.

[A]

Go on a bad streak, you're done right away. There's a couple of double downs.

[B]

Yeah, there's some good restaurants downtown too, man.

[A]

It really is.

[B]

What's that Italian spot out?

[A]

Esther's Kitchen?

[B]

Esther's Kitchen. I go there once a month.

[A]

Esther's Kitchen is great.

[B]

And they just moved to a bigger spot, right?

[A]

They just moved about. About a year maybe.

[B]

Oh, that was a year ago. Okay.

[A]

Soul Belly, the barbecue place downtown is amazing. A couple of great steakhouses. Oscars went to Picking Anthony's the other night at Golden Mug. Very good. Yeah, no, there's great. There's great restaurants downtown. Latai was my first project in town when I moved here. We. We.

[B]

Oh, that was you.

[A]

We did that? Yeah. We don't know that we own the building.

[B]

Oh, okay.

[A]

So we bought the tie downtown.

[B]

I ordered that like once a month.

[A]

It's great. Some of the best time to see the. The turnaround. But. But, you know, a lot of people always say to me, what's your favorite restaurant on the Strip? Favorite, like, the best restaurants are not on the Strip. Good restaurants on the Strip. There are some amazing restaurants on the Strip. But if you say best, I probably go off the Strip, right?

[B]

Yeah. Well, if you ask a local that, they're always going to say off strip spots.

[A]

But there are some great places and the experiences are pretty cool. Like, you go to sw. You sit out there on the. On the lake there, and the show's great.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But it's more than just the food. It's the whole experience, but just pure, good quality food. There's some great places off the Strip as well.

[B]

Is there still that negative stigma around the old strip? Like, do people still think it's kind of grimy and stuff?

[A]

I think Fremont street there is a little bit of that. And they've been challenged because it's a public street. It's really hard to control some of the elements that come out onto that street. Some of the buskers are a problem. We. We've sort of taken the view of. Look, people are going to come downtown to see Fremont street experience because of the history, the neon, the light show, the zipline, whatever it is. But when they're done with that, and for some people that might be three minutes because they're like, no. And some people that might be an hour. We want to create an environment where they can go afterwards. Like, so we built the Carousel Bar, Pink Box Donuts, an outdoor patio steakhouse, all because when people are done with the Fremont street, they should be able to go to a place where they're like, oh, okay, I'm removed from that, right? Crazy. It's cool. I saw it. Now they want to go somewhere else. And so we've, we've tried to elevate some of our experiences exactly for that. And there's still an element of the griminess to the, to the street, but it's, it's getting better.

[B]

That's good.

[A]

And there's more places to go when you're done with it, whether it's the arts district, East Fremont, the other casinos. It's tons of other places to go to.

[B]

I love it. Well, Jonathan, what's next for you? What's next for the hotel? Where can people keep up with you and watch the podcast and everything?

[A]

So our podcast is called on the Corner of Main Street. We do about once every two weeks, we release an episode, always obviously Vegas related. I'm on Instagram at Jonathan Jostle. I put my email out everywhere I was. I on Twitter, I talk to customers if they need anything. With a hotel, again, it's. You got to be guerrilla marketing, grassroots, right? You got to take care of one person at a time. And then, you know, for me, I think we, like I said, we've just scratched ourselves on the Plaza. We're going to continue to remodel the hotel. We're doing two new restaurants this year. We're going to open up Nice. Last year we did the Carousel Bar, the Pink Box Donuts. The Sand Dollar Bar was two years ago. So we keep. Every year we take on new projects to upgrade the property. And really longer term, we got that 10 acres. I'll show you tonight when you come down there on the roof, I'll show you an overview of some of our ideas of what we're thinking for that development. You know, taking the Plaza, making the Plaza the best place in downtown.

[B]

Let's go. Can't wait to stop by tonight, check out the Plaza Hotel. Guys, check out Jonathan's show. I'll see you guys next time.